Means for raising or lowering centerboards



Nd. 613,409. Patented Nov. l, I898.

J. B. COWPER. v

MEANS FOR RAISING 0R LOWERING CENTERBOARDS.

(Application filed Oct. 14, 1897.)

("0 Model.)

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[N VEN TOR a 32,23 7 L Attorney THE NORRI$ Firms :0. monxumu, WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. COWPER, OF LYNBROOK, NEW YORK.

MEANS FOR RAISING OR LOWERING CENTERBOARDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,409, dated November 1, 1898.

Application filed ctob r 14, 1 897.

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JOHN B. COWPER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Lynbrook, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Raising or Lowering Centerboards; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to means for raising and lowering the centerboards of sailing craft, and particularly to windlasses used for this purpose. Extended practical experience with this type of devices has shown me that a windlass for raising and lowering centerboards must, in order fully to be practical, possess all of the following characteristics: First, it must combine simplicity, cheapness, compactness, and lightness with strength and durability; second,the crank or handle should turn from the operator instead of toward him in the operation of raising the centerboard; third, the pawl which looks the drum must positively be held away from the ratchet when released therefrom in order that the centerboard may be most quickly lowered by its own weight, which at present is retarded and frequently stopped by the jarring of the pawl into engagement with the ratchet, and the crank must be capable of being disconnected while the centerboard is being lowered to the end that said crank shall not, by rapidly revolving with the drum in the unwinding operation, be liable to injure persons close thereto, and, fourth, the connection with the centerboard should be such that the Windlass may be operated to complete the lowering of the centerboard instead of requiring the operator to press the same down by hand when it has lowered as far as possible by its own weight, as is at present necessary, thereby completing the lowering of the centerboard much more quickly, conveniently, and efficiently than heretofore.

The object of my invention is to provide a means which will answer all the above-n1entioned requirements; and to this end the in- Serial No. 655,107. (No model.)

vention consists in the peculiarities of construction hereinafter described and claimed. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through thebody of a boat provided with my improved means for raising and lowering the centerboard thereof. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the Windlass with the cable or rope thereon. Fig. 3 is a side view of the device with the crank and contiguous parts in section. Fig. 4is an end view of the Windlass, showing in full lines the pawl held in engagement with the ratchet and in dotted lines said pawl disengaged therefrom; and Fig. 5 is a detail view of the pawl and the spring for holding the same in either of its positions.

The same numerals of reference designate the same parts in the several figures.

1 designates the body of a boat, 2 the well, and 3 the centerboard thereof, which is pivoted at one end within said well and is connected with a drum 5 by means of a cable 25, as hereinafter set forth. Erected upon one wall of the well at proper distance'apart are two standards at 4, the upper ends of which are formed to provide bearings for the spindles of said drum 5. This drum has flanges 6 and 7 at its ends, and one of said fianges,7, is, circumferentially toothed to form a ratchet. At the other side of the Windlass there is a gear 9, mounted on the spindle, which gear is intermeshed with a gear 10, which is mounted on a shaft 11, which is borne by a sleeve 12, projecting outward from the adjacent standard 4. Fixed upon the outer end of said shaft 11 is a disk 13, having circumferential recesses 14.

15 designates a crank having an operatinghandle 16 and formed with a longitudinal bore 17. This crank has a laterally-enlarged head 18, which is hollow to provide a chamber which communicates with said bore and receives said disk. Mounted in said bore 17 is a longitudinally-movable stem 19, the upper end of which is formed with a head 20, which is designed to engage one of the recesses 14 in said disk 13. The lower end of said stem is engaged with a coiled spring 21, which is seated in the base of said bore 17 and operates to hold said head 20 yieldingly in said recess, and intermediate of its ends said stem is provided with a thumb-piece 22, which projects laterally through an elongated slot 23 in said crank. Normally the crank is locked to the disk, and motion is thereby transmitted to the drum in the winding of the cable upon said drum; but when it is desired to lower the centerboard 3 said head is held down out of engagement with said disk by pressure applied to said thumb-piece 22, whereby said crank will then remain stationary while the drum rotates, the advantage of which will be readily appreciated. It will also be seen that the disk and spindle are concealed Within and protected by said crank. At the other end of the Windlass is a plate 26, having upwardlyextending projections 27, between which is pivoted the lower end of a pawl 28, the upper end of which pawl engages said ratchet 7. Said pawl projects below its pivot, as shown at 33, and said projecting portion is engaged at all times by the centrally-raised portion of a curved spring 30, which is seated in said plate 2'3 and has both of its ends rigidly secured thereto, whereby said pawl is held to the teeth of the ratchet when engaged and away from said ratchet when disengaged therefrom, and therefore no matter how great the jar incident to the rapid revolution of the drum in the lowering of the centerboard said pawl cannot fall into engagement with the ratchet, and thereby retard or stop said lowering process. Said pawl is provided with a projection 29 for convenience in disengaging it from said ratchet.

It has been found in practive that the centerboard will not lower of its own weight to the full extent desired, which requires the operator to press its end down by hand. To overcome this disadvantageous necessity, both ends of the cable 25 are secured to the upper non-pivoted end of said centerboard, and one end of said cable extends to and is wrapped around one end of the drum in one direction, while the other end of said cable extends from said upper end of the centerboard to and around a sheave 31, thence to the other end of said drum, around which latter it is wrapped in a direction the reverse of that first mentioned. Thus when the cable is being unwrapped from one end of the drum it is being wrapped upon the other end thereof, and when the centerboard has fallen as far as possible by its own weight the drum may be operated by turning the crank to lower it considerably farther and the pawl engaged with the ratchet to hold the centerboard in such lowered position. To prevent tangling of the cable, the drum is preferably formed with a flange 32, located about midway its length.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination with a rotatable drum, a shaft rotatable therewith, a pivoted centerboard, a cable connecting said centerboard with said drum, and a toothed disk on said shaft, of a crank having a longitudinal bore and formed with an opening in its wall leading to said bore, said crank also having a laterally-enlarged head formed with a chamber to receive said disk, a longitudinally-movable rod having a head located in said chamber and designed to engage said disk, a thumbpiece projecting from said rod through said opening, and a coiled spring seated in said bore and engaging said rod for holding the head of the same movablyin engagement with said disk, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with a centerboard pivoted at one end, of a drum, a cable having its ends wound in reverse directions around the respective ends of said drum and both of its eritremities secured to the non-pivoted end of said centerboard near the top thereof, a sheave near the lower end of said centerboard engaged by the bight of said cable, and a crank to rotate said drum in either direction, substantially as shown and described.

3. Acenterboard pivoted at one end,in combination with a means for both raising and lowering the same, said means consisting of a drum having a disk at one end formed to provide a ratchet, a pawl pivoted adjacent to said ratchet, a spring seated beneath said pawl and having its raised central part engaged with the lower end thereof so as to hold the same securely in either operative or inoperative position, a gear on the shaft of said drum, a shaft having a gear meshed with said first-mentioned gear, a toothed disk fixed on the outerend of said shaft, a crank formed with a longitudinal bore and having an openingin its wallleading to said bore, said crank also having a head formed with a chamber receiving said disk, a longitudinally-movable rod having a head located in said chamber and designed to engage said disk, a thumbpiece projecting from said rod through said opening in the wall of the crank, a coiled spring seated in said bore and engaging said rod for holding the same movably in engagement with said disk, a cable having its ends secured to said centerboard, near the top of the non-pivoted end thereof, said cable being wound in reverse directions around the respective ends of said drum, and a sheave near the lower end of said centerboard engaged by the bight of said cable, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN B. COWPER.

Vitnesses:

J. FREDK. MAIER, EDWIN HARVEY. 

